Gaming device with independent gesture-sensitive areas

ABSTRACT

A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may include, for example, a processor coupled to a memory storing instructions and to a near field sensor. Execution of the instructions can cause the processor to perform operations including defining a zone corresponding to a portion of an accessory comprising the sensor, detecting a gesture of an object in the zone by sensing the object with the sensor, determining that the gesture is a new gesture not previously associated with the zone and not previously associated with a gaming action controlling presentations produced by a gaming application, associating the gesture with the zone and with the gaming action, subsequently detecting the gesture in the zone, obtaining the gaming action associated with the gesture, and transmitting the gaming action to the gaming application. Other embodiments are disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/057,384, filed Aug. 7, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/607,005, filed May 26, 2017 (now U.S. Pat. No.10,076,706), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/957,492, filed Aug. 2, 2013 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,687,730), whichclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/792,519, filedMar. 15, 2013, which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates generally to a gaming device forprocessing gamers' gestures.

BACKGROUND

It is common today for gamers to utilize more than one gaming accessory.This is especially true of gamers who play Massively Multiplayer On-line(MMO) games in a team or individual configuration. Gamers can have attheir disposal accessories such as a keyboard, a general purpose gamingpad, a mouse, a gaming console controller, a headset with a built-inmicrophone to communicate with other players, a joystick, a computerdisplay, or other common gaming accessories.

A gamer can frequently use a combination of these accessories in onegame (e.g., headset, a keyboard, and mouse). Efficient management andutilization of these accessories can frequently impact a gamer's abilityto compete.

Accessory management can also have utility in other disciplines whichmay not relate to gaming applications. Efficient use of accessories inthese other disciplines can also be important to users.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIGS. 1A and 1B depict illustrative embodiments of a Graphical UserInterface (GUI) generated by an Accessory Management Software (AMS)application according to the subject disclosure;

FIGS. 2A, 2B and 3 depict illustrative embodiments for communicativelycoupling a gaming controller to a computing device;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device;

FIGS. 5A-5M depicts illustrative embodiments for configuring a gamingenvironment by way of the AMS application using gestures;

FIGS. 6-7 depicts illustrative embodiments for configuring a gamingenvironment by way of the AMS application;

FIGS. 8-9 depicts illustrative embodiments of communication flowdiagrams utilized by the AMS application;

FIGS. 10-11 depicts illustrative embodiments of gamer statistics; and

FIG. 12 depicts an illustrative diagrammatic representation of a machinein the form of a computer system within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments of accessories that detect gestures, and the processing ofsuch gestures. Other embodiments are contemplated by the subjectdisclosure.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure can entail a system having amemory to store instructions, and a processor coupled to the memory andcoupled to a near field sensor. Execution of the instructions by theprocessor can cause the processor to perform operations includingdefining a zone corresponding to a portion of an accessory comprisingthe near field sensor wherein the near field sensor detects objects inthe zone, detecting a gesture of an object in the zone by sensing theobject with the near field sensor, determining that the gesture is a newgesture not previously associated with the zone and not previouslyassociated with a gaming action of a plurality of gaming actions thatcontrol presentations produced by a gaming application, associating thegesture with the zone and with the gaming action responsive to thedetermination, subsequently detecting the gesture in the zone, obtainingthe gaming action associated with the gesture responsive to detectingthe gesture, and transmitting the gaming action to the gamingapplication.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure can entail a method comprisingreceiving input by an accessory comprising a processor coupled to a nearfield sensor to define a zone corresponding to a portion of theaccessory comprising the near field sensor wherein the near field sensordetects objects in the zone, sensing by the accessory a gestureperformed by an object in the zone and in a vicinity of the accessorythat is detectable by the near field sensor, determining by theaccessory that when the gesture is sensed in the zone the gesture isassociated with a gaming action that controls presentations produced bya gaming application, obtaining by the accessory the gaming actionassociated with the gesture responsive to sensing the gesture, andtransmitting by the accessory the gaming action to the gamingapplication.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure can entail a machine-readablestorage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by aprocessor, cause the processor to perform operations including sensing agesture performed by an object in a zone wherein the object is in avicinity of a sensor for detecting gestures, associating the gesturewith a gaming action that controls presentations produced by a gamingapplication, sensing by way of the sensor a subsequent instance of thegesture in the zone while ignoring actions by the object outside of thezone, obtaining the gaming action associated with the gesture responsiveto detecting the subsequent instance of the gesture in the zone, andproviding the gaming action to the gaming application.

FIG. 1A depicts an illustrative embodiment of a Graphical User Interface(GUI) generated by an Accessory Management Software (AMS) applicationaccording to the subject disclosure. The AMS application can be executedby a computing device such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, aserver, a mainframe computer, a gaming console, a gaming accessory, orcombinations or portions thereof. The AMS application can also beexecuted by portable computing devices such as a cellular phone, a smartphone, a tablet, a personal digital assistant, or a media player (suchas an iPOD™-iPOD™ is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.). It iscontemplated that the AMS application can be executed by any device withsuitable computing resources. The operations of the AMS will bedescribed below according to the illustrative embodiments of methods500-700 of FIGS. 5-7.

FIG. 2A depicts a gaming controller 115 which can be used by a gamer,according to an embodiment of the subject disclosure. In thisembodiment, gaming controller 115 and gaming console 220 have anintegrated wireless interface for wireless communications therebetween(e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, or proprietary protocol). Bluetooth®is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc, and ZigBee® is aregistered trademark of the Zigbee Alliance. The gaming console 220 iscoupled to network 250 via communication link 245, such as a WiFi link,to the internet. The gaming console 220 can be, for example, an Xbox™, aPS3™, a Wii™, or other suitable gaming console device (Xbox™ is atrademark of Microsoft Corporation, PS3™ is a trademark of SonyCorporation, and Wii™ is a trademark of Nintendo Corporation). Videoinformation is displayed to the gamer on display device 230, which inthis illustration is coupled to gaming console 220 by a wired connection235 (e.g., HDMI connection). Display device 230 may be a television or atouch screen that serves both as an input device and an output devicefor experiencing a video game. Alternatively, the gaming controller 115can be tethered to a computing device such as the gaming console by acable (e.g., USB cable) to provide a means of communication that is lesssusceptible to electromagnetic or other sources of wirelessinterference.

It is to be understood that the devices shown in FIG. 2A are merelyillustrations of a wide variety of computing devices or other componentsthat may be used in a video game, including an online game operated byan on-line gaming server 272. In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 2B, adesktop computer 262 can be used in place of the gaming console 220. Inone embodiment, the desktop computer 262 can be configured to executesoftware that presents a localized game. In another embodiment, thedesktop computer 262 can be configured to execute a gaming client (e.g.,a software application) acting in cooperation with the on-line gamingserver 272 accessible by the desktop computer 262 via the network 250 topresent an on-line game (e.g., World of Warcraft™, which is a trademarkof Blizzard Entertainment). The gaming accessory used with the desktopcomputer 262 can be a keyboard 108, a mouse 110, or another suitablegaming accessory device.

FIG. 3 illustrates gaming accessory devices with which a gamer 301 caninteract. Touch-sensitive devices 310 can include a game controller 115,mouse 110, a keyboard 108, a display 230 (which may be touch-screencapable), and a joystick 116. Audio devices 320 can include headphones114, a microphone 321, and a speakerphone 113. Imaging devices 330 caninclude a webcam 331. These accessory devices can provide sensorystimuli to the gamer, detect responses from the gamer, or both. Theaccessories can be coupled to the computing device by a tetheredinterface (e.g., USB cable), a wireless interface (e.g., Bluetooth orWiFi), or combinations thereof.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 400.Communication device 400 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the devices depicted in FIGS. 2-3. Thecommunication device 400 can comprise a wireline and/or wirelesstransceiver 402 (herein transceiver 402), a user interface (UI) 404, apower supply 414, a proximity or touch sensor 416, a motion sensor 418,an orientation sensor 420, and a controller 406 for managing operationsthereof. The transceiver 402 can support short-range or long-rangewireless access technologies such as Bluetooth®, WiFi, Digital EnhancedCordless Telecommunications (DECT), or cellular communicationtechnologies, just to mention a few. Cellular technologies can include,for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX,software defined radio (SDR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), as well asother next generation wireless communication technologies as they arise.The transceiver 402 can also be adapted to support circuit-switchedwireline access technologies (such as PSTN), packet-switched wirelineaccess technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP, etc.), and combinationsthereof.

The UI 404 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 408coupled to a navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, amouse, or a navigation disk for manipulating operations of thecommunication device 400. The keypad 408 can be an integral part of ahousing assembly of the communication device 400 or an independentdevice operably coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface (suchas a USB cable) or a wireless interface supporting for exampleBluetooth®. The keypad 408 can represent a numeric keypad, and/or aQWERTY keypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 404 can further include adisplay 410 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display),OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technologyfor conveying images to an end user of the communication device 400.

In an embodiment where the display 410 is touch-sensitive, a portion orall of the keypad 408 can be presented by way of the display 410 withnavigation features (e.g., an iPad™, iPhone™, or Android™ phone ortablet). iPad™, iPhone™ are trademarks of Apple Computer, and Android™is a trademark of Google Corporation. As a touch screen display, thecommunication device 400 can be adapted to present a user interface withgraphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by a userwith a touch of a finger or fingers. The touch screen display 410 can beequipped with capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technologyto detect how much surface area of a user's finger has been placed on aportion of the touch screen display. This sensing information can beused to control the manipulation of the GUI elements.

The UI 404 can also include an audio system 412 that utilizes audiotechnology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard only inthe proximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such asspeakerphone for hands free operation, stereo or surround sound system).The audio system 412 can further include a microphone for receivingaudible signals of an end user. The audio system 412 can also be usedfor voice recognition applications. The UI 404 can further include animage sensor 413 such as a charged coupled device (CCD) camera forcapturing still or moving images and performing image recognitiontherefrom.

The power supply 414 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable or rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and charging system technologies for supplying energy tothe components of the communication device 400 to facilitate long-rangeor short-range portable applications. Alternatively, the charging systemcan utilize external power sources such as DC power supplied over aphysical interface such as a USB port or by way of a power cord attachedto a transformer that converts AC to DC power.

The proximity or touch sensor 416 can utilize proximity and/or touchsensing technology such as an electromagnetic sensor, a capacitivesensor, an inductive sensor, a near-field sensor (using technology suchas a GestIC™, a trademark of Microchip Technology, Inc.), an imagesensor (using technology such as a LeapMotion Controller™, a trademarkof LeapMotion, Inc), or combinations thereof. The motion sensor 418 canutilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope,or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect movement of thecommunication device 400 in three-dimensional space. The orientationsensor 420 can utilize orientation sensing technology such as amagnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device 400(North, South, West, East, combined orientations thereof in degrees,minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The communication device 400 can use the transceiver 402 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth®, or other wirelessaccess points by common sensing techniques such as utilizing a receivedsignal strength indicator (RSSI) and/or a signal time of arrival (TOA)or time of flight (TOF). The controller 406 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies.

All or a portion of the technologies described for communication device400 can be integrated in accessories such as shown in FIGS. 5B-5G. Forexample, the proximity and/or touch sensor 416 can be integrated in eachof the accessories shown in FIGS. 5B-5G. Accordingly, these accessoriescan detect touch and/or near field activities such as gestures (touchingor proximate to the accessory) performed by a user. Furthermore, aplurality of sensors 416 can be integrated on a single accessory, sothat different zones associated with the accessory detect different setsof gestures, as shown in FIGS. 5H-5M (each zone corresponding to aportion of the accessory and the space proximate thereto). Othertechnologies of the communication device 400 can be integrated in wholeor in part in these accessories, such as the transceiver 402, controller506, motion sensor 418, and so on.

FIGS. 5A and 6-7 depict methods 500-700 which describe illustrativeembodiments of the AMS application. Method 500 can begin with step 502in which the AMS application is invoked in a computing device. Thecomputing device can be a remote server 272, a computer 262, or thegaming console 220 of FIGS. 2A-2B, or any other computing device withsuitable computing resources such as a smartphone, a laptop computer, ora tablet as shown in FIG. 3. The invocation step can result from a userselection with a mouse, speech detection, or other navigation andselection approach of the AMS application from a menu or iconic symbolpresented on a desktop of the computing device by an operating system(OS) managing operations of the computing device. In step 504, the AMSapplication can detect by way of drivers in the OS a plurality ofoperationally distinct accessories communicatively coupled to or anintegral part of the computing device. The accessories can be coupled tothe computing device by a tethered interface (e.g., USB cable), awireless interface (e.g., Bluetooth® or WiFi), or combinations thereof.The accessories can also be an integral part of the computing device(e.g., a touch screen display).

In the present context, an accessory can represent any type of devicewhich can be communicatively coupled to the computing device (or anintegral part of the computing device) and which can control aspects ofthe OS and/or a software application executed by the computing device.An accessory can represent for example a keyboard, a touch screendisplay, a gaming pad, a gaming controller, a mouse, a joystick, amicrophone, or a headset with a microphone—just to mention a few.

In step 506, the AMS application presents a GUI 101 such as depicted inFIG. 1A with operationally distinct accessories such as a keyboard 108,and a gaming controller 115. The GUI 101 presents the accessories108-116 in a scrollable section 117. One or more accessories can beselected by a user with a mouse pointer. In this illustration, thekeyboard 108 and the gaming controller 115 were selected forcustomization. Upon selecting the keyboard 108 and the gaming controller115 from the scrollable window of section 117, the AMS applicationpresents the keyboard 108 and the gaming controller 115 in split windows118, 120, respectively, to assist the user during the customizationprocess.

In another embodiment, the AMS application can present GUI 101 with aparticular portion (zone) of an accessory selected, as shown in FIG. 1B.In the example shown in FIG. 1B, keyboard 108 has two zones 163, 165,and a boundary 161 is drawn around right-hand zone 165 to indicate theselected zone. Alternatively, the user can select an accessory and thendraw boundary 161 with a drawing tool, to select a particular zone ofthe selected accessory. Different zones of the same accessory can thusbe separately customized. For example, different zones of an accessorycan be associated with different sets of control gestures, as describedin more detail below.

In step 508, the AMS application can be programmed to detect auser-selection of a particular software application such as a game. Thisstep can be the result of the user entering with speech detection orkeyboard entries in a Quick Search field 160 the name of a gamingapplication (e.g., World of Warcraft™ or WoW). Upon identifying a gamingapplication, the AMS application can retrieve in step 510 from a remoteor local database gaming application actions which can be presented in ascrollable section 139 of the GUI represented as “Actions” 130. Theactions can be tactical actions 132, communication actions 134, menuactions 136, and movement actions 138 which can be used to invoke andmanage features of the gaming application.

The actions presented descriptively in section 130 of the GUI canrepresent a sequence of accessory input functions which a user canstimulate by button depressions, navigation or speech. For example,depressing the left button on the mouse 110 can represent the tacticalaction “Reload”, while the simultaneous keyboard depressions “Ctrl A”can represent the tactical action “Melee Attack”. For ease of use, the“Actions” 130 section of the GUI is presented descriptively rather thanby a description of the input function(s) of a particular accessory.

In one embodiment, any one of the actions 130 can be associated with oneor more input functions of the accessories being customized in windows118 and 120 by way of a drag and drop action or other customizationoptions. For instance, a user can select a “Melee Attack” by placing amouse pointer 133 over an iconic symbol associated with this action.Upon doing so, the symbol can be highlighted to indicate to the userthat the icon is selectable. At this point, the user can select the iconby holding the left mouse button and dragging the symbol to any of theinput functions (e.g., buttons) of the keyboard 108 or selectableoptions of the gaming controller 115 to make an association with aninput function of one of these accessories.

In another embodiment, actions 130 can be associated with gesturesdetected by a gaming accessory. For example, in window 118 a hand 170 isdepicted alongside keyboard 108. The hand symbol 170 also includes adrop-down menu depicted by symbol 171, which is selectable with themouse pointer 133. The drop-down symbol 171, when selected, can presenta list of gestures recorded by the AMS application as a library ofgestures associated with the keyboard 108. Illustrations of thesegestures are shown in FIG. 5B. For example, a clockwise orcounterclockwise turn of a user's hand can represent gesture 352. Adiagonal movement of the hand can represent gesture 353, and so on forgestures 354 and 355. The AMS application can be adapted to recordgestures 352-355 in a library using the macro recording functiondescribed below at step 520.

In a manner similar to the embodiment described earlier, a user canselect “Melee Attack” by placing the mouse pointer 133 over the iconicsymbol associated with this action. The user can then select the icon byholding the left mouse button and dragging the symbol to the drop-downmenu symbol 171, which in turn presents the library of gesturesassociated with the keyboard 108 as shown in FIG. 5B. While holding theleft mouse button, the user can drag the Melee Attack icon over one ofgestures 352-355. When the icon overlaps one of the gestures, the AMSapplication can be adapted to highlight the gesture with color or othersuitable highlighting techniques. Once the user locates the gesture ofinterest, the user can release the left mouse button to initiate theassociation. The AMS application can in response to releasing the leftmouse button automatically make the association, or prompt the user toverify the association (“Select OK if you wish to associate Melee Attackwith the highlighted gesture?”).

The association of actions 130 can also be performed with the gamingcontroller 115 based on the hand symbol 180 and corresponding drop-downmenu 181. Like the keyboard 108, the gaming controller 115 can have alibrary of gestures 356-359 as shown in FIG. 5C that can be created byway of the recording function provided by the AMS application. Otheraccessories such as a display, a headset, a microphone, and a mouse canbe adapted with a proximity and/or touch sensor 416 for sensing gesturessuch as gestures 362-364 of FIG. 5D, gestures 372-375 of FIG. 5E,gestures 377-379 of FIG. 5F, and gestures 382-384 of FIG. 5G,respectively.

It is further noted that the positioning of fingers, and the orientationof the hand can also be used as a means to distinguish between gestures.For instance, the hand symbol 170 shows one (index) finger of the righthand, which is distinguishable from the two fingers of the right handshown in hand symbol 180 and one (index) finger of the left hand shownin hand symbol 190. In addition, the orientation of hand symbol 190 isdistinguishable from the orientation of hand symbols 170 and 180. Thesedistinctions can be used to further identify which gestures areassociated with which accessories. It is further noted that suchdistinctions can be used to form multiple libraries for the sameaccessory. For example, left hand symbol 190 can be used for a firstlibrary of gestures associated with the keyboard 108, and right handsymbol 170 can be used for a second library of gestures associated withthe keyboard 108.

As noted above, an accessory can be adapted with a plurality of sensors416 in respective zones of the accessory. The user can select anaccessory and then select a zone of that accessory to customize with alibrary of gestures, so that gestures detected by sensors integratedwith that zone are associated with a particular action. For example, asshown in FIG. 1B, in window 118 keyboard 108 can be presented withboundary 161 (or the user can draw the boundary on the depictedkeyboard) to indicate selection of zone 165 on the right-hand side ofkeyboard 108, and a right hand 170 is depicted alongside keyboard 108.The hand symbol 170 also includes a drop-down menu depicted by symbol171, which is selectable with the mouse pointer 133. If a boundary ispresented or drawn to indicate zone 163 on the left-hand side ofkeyboard 108, a left hand can be depicted alongside keyboard 108 with asymbol for different drop-down menu. The drop-down symbol, whenselected, can present a list of gestures recorded by the AMS applicationas a library of gestures associated with the selected zone.Illustrations of these gestures are shown in FIGS. 5H and 5I relating tozones 163 and 165 respectively. For example, a side-to-side movement ofthe user's left hand can represent gesture 323. A diagonal movement ofthe right hand can represent gesture 327, and so on for gestures 322-325(left hand, zone 163) and gestures 326-329 (right hand, zone 165). TheAMS application can be adapted to record the gestures in librariesassociated with the respective zones, using the macro recording functiondescribed below at step 520.

Similarly, headset 114 can be adapted with a plurality of proximityand/or touch sensors 416 at the left and right earpieces respectively,so that the headset can have left and right zones 173, 175. Like thekeyboard 108, the zones of the headset can have distinct libraries ofgestures, for example gestures 332-335 performed with the left hand onor proximate to zone 173 as shown in FIG. 5J, and gestures 336-339performed with the right hand on or proximate to zone 175 as shown inFIG. 5K.

In another example, mouse 110 can be adapted with a plurality ofproximity and/or touch sensors at the left and right buttonsrespectively, so that the mouse can have left and right zones 183, 185.Like the keyboard 108 and headset 114, the zones of the mouse can havedistinct libraries of gestures, for example gestures 342-344 performedon or proximate to zone 183 as shown in FIG. 5L, and gestures 346-348performed on or proximate to zone 185 as shown in FIG. 5M.

It should be noted that accessories can be subdivided into zones whetherthe zones are physically independent, or are separated by a virtualboundary. An accessory with a continuous surface, for example thesurface of keyboard 108, can be subdivided into zones by drawing avirtual boundary using the GUI 101 (see FIG. 1B, wherein boundary 161 isdrawn to create distinct zones 163, 165 on the surface). However, theuser can also specify physically independent areas of an accessory (suchas left and right earpieces of a headset, or left and right buttons of amouse) as distinct zones, without having to draw a boundary using theGUI. In addition, a specific gesture can be associated with a specificzone (even if that zone is defined only by a virtual boundary), so thatthe gesture causes an action only when performed in that zone. Forexample, gesture 322 is in the library of gestures for zone 163 but notfor zone 165. Accordingly, gesture 322 will cause an action only whenperformed on, or proximate to, zone 163 at the left-hand side ofkeyboard 108 (see FIG. 5H).

It is also noted that touch combinations can also be used fordistinguishing between gestures and/or libraries. For instance, a singletap based on hand symbol 170 can trigger one library, while a double tapbased on the same hand symbol 170 can trigger a second library. Thecombination of taps, hand orientation, or finger orientation can provideusers multiple options for recording gesture libraries. It is also notedthat a gesture library of one accessory can be associated with otheraccessories, or can be transferred or swapped between accessories. It isalso noted that a single gesture can also be transferred or swappedbetween accessories. It is further noted that gestures can be performedwith both hands.

In another embodiment, the actions of one accessory can also beassociated with another accessory that is of a different category. Forexample, gestures, or key depressions of the keyboard 108 can beassociated with one of the buttons of the gaming controller 115 (e.g.,the left button 119).

Based on the above illustrative associations, when a selected button isdepressed, or a gesture is detected by the keyboard 108 or gamingcontroller 115, the stimulus signal that is generated by the selectedbutton or gesture can be substituted by the AMS application with theselected action (Melee Attack in the above example). In yet anotherembodiment, the action can be associated with movement of the gamingcontroller 115 such as, for example, rapid movement, shaking of thegaming controller 115, or a gesture performed with the controller 115itself.

In a further embodiment, the AMS application can be adapted to makeassociations with two dimensional or three dimensional movements of thegaming controller 115 or two dimensional or three dimensional gesturesaccording to a gaming venue state. For example, suppose a gamer's avatarenters a fighter jet. In this gaming venue state, moving the leftnavigation knob of the gaming controller 115 forward can be associatedby the AMS application with controlling the throttle of the jet engines.Similarly, hand gestures (of a single hand or both) can be used. Forexample, one hand over one accessory with proximity sensing can be usedto detect throttling of the jet engines, while the other hand over thesame or difference accessory can be used to navigate upwards, downwards,bank right, bank left, or perform any other three dimensionalmaneuvering. In yet another embodiment, rapidly moving the gamingcontroller 115 downward can represent release of munitions such as abomb, or a separation of fingers followed by a downward motion of thehand detected by a proximity sensor of the accessory as a gesture canalso represent release of munitions.

In a gaming venue state where the gamer's avatar has entered a building,lifting of the gaming controller 115 or a hand (detected by a sensor ofthe gaming controller 115) above a first displacement threshold can beassociated with a rapid movement of the avatar up one floor. A seconddisplacement threshold can be associated with a rapid movement of theavatar down one floor—the opposite of the first displacement threshold.Alternatively, the second displacement threshold could be associatedwith a different action such as jumping between buildings when theavatar is on the roof of a building.

The AMS application can associate standard stimuli generated bymanipulating a gaming accessory or detecting gestures via the gamingaccessory with substitute stimuli that control gaming actions of a videogame. The AMS application can be adapted to perform these associationsbased on a gaming venue state such as the ones described above.Accordingly, the associations made between stimuli supplied by anaccessory such as the gaming controller 115 from manipulations of thegaming controller 115 or gestures detected thereby can be venue statedependent. The gaming venue state can be a description of a gaming state(e.g., entering a tank which requires the use of gaming controls for atank), captured images of the gaming venue state (e.g., one or morestill images of a tank, or a video of an avatar entering a tank), and/orapplication programming instructions (API) messages which can bereceived from the gaming application to enable the AMS application toidentify the occurrence of a particular gaming venue state.

It is also noted that the AMS application can be directed to makeassociations according to speech commands. For example, a user can state“associate Melee Attack with the letter “A” of the keyboard 108,” or“associate Ctrl A of the keyboard 108 with the “X” button of the gamingcontroller 115”, or “associate waving of my left hand with MeleeAttack,” and so on. The AMS application can use speech recognitiontechnology to parse and process such speech commands to make therequested associations.

At step 512 the AMS application can also respond to a user selection ofa profile. A profile can be a device profile or master profile invokedby selecting GUI button 156 or 158, each of which can identify theassociation of gaming actions with stimuli generated by one or moreaccessories. If a profile selection is detected in step 512, the AMSapplication can retrieve in step 514 macro(s) and/or prior associationsdefined by the profile. The actions and/or macros defined in the profilecan also be presented in step 516 by the AMS application in the actionscolumn 130 of the GUI 101 to modify existing profile associations orcreate new associations.

In step 518, the AMS application can also respond to a user selection tocreate a macro. A macro in the present context can mean any actionablecommand which can be recorded by the AMS application. An actionablecommand can represent a sequence of stimuli generated by manipulatinginput functions of an accessory, gestures detected thereby, acombination of actions in the Action section 130, an identification of asoftware application to be initiated by an operating system (OS), or anyother recordable stimulus to initiate, control or manipulate softwareapplications.

For instance, a macro can represent a user entering the identity of asoftware application (e.g., instant messaging tool) to be initiated byan OS upon the AMS application detecting through speech recognition aspeech command A macro can also represent recordable speech delivered bya microphone singly or in combination with a headset for detection byanother software application through speech recognition or for deliveryof the recorded speech to other parties. In yet another embodiment amacro can represent recordable navigation of an accessory such as ajoystick of the gaming controller 115, recordable selections of buttonsof the gaming controller 115, and so on. Macros can also be combinationsof the above illustrations with selected actions from the actions 130menu. Macros can further represent libraries of gestures recorded by theAMS application.

Macros can be created from the GUI 101 by selecting a “Record Macro”button 148. The macro can be given a name and category in user-definedfields 140 and 142. Upon selecting the Record Macro button 148, a macrocan be generated by selection of input functions on an accessory (e.g.,Ctrl A, speech, gesture, navigation knob movements of the gamingcontroller 115, etc.) and/or by manual entry in field 144 (e.g., typingthe name and location of a software application to be initiated by anOS, such as an instant messaging application, keyboard entries such asCtrl A, etc.). Once the macro is created, it can be tested by selectingbutton 150 which can repeat the sequence specified in field 144. Theclone button 152 can be selected to replicate the macro sequence ifdesired. Fields 152 can also present timing characteristics of thestimulation sequence in the macro with the ability to modify and therebycustomize the timing of one or more stimulations in the stimulationsequence. Once the macro has been fully defined, selection of button 154records the macro in step 520.

Step 520 can also be used to record gestures as described earlier. Forinstance, the user can select the record macro button 148, perform agesture which is detected by the proximity and/or touch sensor 416 ofthe accessory device (e.g., keyboard 108), and select the Save button154 to complete the recording. The user can continue to perform thesesteps to create a library of gestures for the accessory in question.Gestures can be distinguished not only by two-dimensional movement, butalso by the number of fingers detected in proximity to the accessoryand/or the number of fingers touching the accessory, as well as threedimensional movement of the hand. It should be noted that gestures arenot limited to hands. Gestures can also be based on other body partssuch as winking of an eyelid, movement of a user's head, body motion,etc.

Once a macro has been recorded, the recording step can be combined witha step for adding the macro to the associable items actions 130, therebyproviding the user the means to associate the macro with input functionsof the accessories (e.g., one or more keys of the keyboard 108, buttonsof the gaming controller 115, etc.).

In step 522, the AMS application can respond to drag and dropassociations of actions and input functions of the keyboard 108 or thegaming controller 115, or associations described by the user's speech.Associations can also be made based on the two or three dimensionalmovements of the gaming controller 115. If user input indicates that auser is performing an association, the AMS application can proceed tostep 524 where it can determine if a profile has been identified in step512 to record the association(s) detected. If a profile has beenidentified, the associations are recorded and/or stored in the profilein step 526. If a profile has not been identified in step 512, the AMSapplication can create a profile in step 528 for recording the detectedassociations. In the same step, the user can name the newly createdprofile. The newly created profile can also be associated with one ormore gaming software applications in step 530 for future reference. TheAMS application can also record in a profile in step 526 associationsbased on gaming venue states. In this embodiment the same stimuligenerated by the gaming controller 115 or keyboard 108 can result indifferent substitutions based on the gaming venue state detected by theAMS application.

The AMS application can also be adapted to utilize image processingtechnology to detect a gaming venue state according to pre-stored imagesor video clips stored in the profile. For example, the AMS applicationcan use image processing technology to identify an avatar of a gamer andtrack what the avatar does as directed by the gamer. For example, if theavatar enters a tank, the image processing technology of the AMSapplication can detect a gaming venue state associated with the use of atank, and thereby identify associations between accessory stimuli andsubstitute stimuli according to the detected gaming venue state.

Referring back to step 526, once the associations have been recorded ina profile, the AMS application can determine in step 532 which of theaccessories shown illustratively in FIG. 1 are programmable andavailable for programming. If the AMS application detects that theaccessories (e.g., keyboard 108, gaming controller 115) arecommunicatively coupled to a computing device from which the AMSapplication is operating (e.g., gaming console 220) and programmable,the AMS application can proceed to step 534 of FIG. 5A where it submitsthe profile and its contents for storage in one of the accessories(e.g., the gaming controller 115 in FIG. 2A). Once the gaming controller115 is programmed with the profile, it can perform stimuli substitutionsaccording to the associations recorded by the AMS application in theprofile. Alternatively, the AMS application can store the profile in acomputing device of FIGS. 2A-2B (e.g., gaming console 220 or computer262) and perform substitutions of stimuli supplied by the gamingcontroller 115 and/or keyboard 108 according to associations recorded inthe profile by the AMS application.

The GUI 101 of FIG. 1 presented by the AMS application can have otherfunctions. For example, the GUI 101 can provide options for layout ofthe accessory selected (button 122), how the keyboard is illuminatedwhen associations between input functions and actions are made (button134), and configuration options for the accessory (button 126). The AMSapplication can adapt the GUI 101 to present more than one functionalGUI page. For instance, by selecting button 102, the AMS application canadapt the GUI 101 to present a means to create macros and associateactions to accessory input functions as depicted in FIG. 1. Selectingbutton 104 can cause the AMS application to adapt the GUI 101 to presentstatistics from stimulation information and/or gaming action resultscaptured by the AMS application. Selecting button 106 can also cause theAMS application to adapt the GUI 101 to present promotional offers andsoftware updates.

The steps of method 500 in whole or in part can be repeated until adesirable pattern of associations between stimulus signals generated byaccessories and substitute stimuli is achieved. It would be apparent toan artisan with ordinary skill in the art that there can be numerousother approaches to accomplish the embodiments described by method 500or variants thereof. These undisclosed approaches are contemplated bythe subject disclosure.

Method 600 depicts illustrative embodiments for processing user requestsbased on contextual circumstances. Method 600 can begin, for example,with step 602 where the AMS application monitors a region for gamers. Aregion can represent a region of communication (wired or wireless), aregion of visual identification, or combinations thereof. For example, aregion of communication can represent a region where ambient speech canbe detected by sensing equipment. In this embodiment, the region may belimited to the audio range of one or more microphones placed about alocation of a computing device executing the AMS application. In anotherembodiment, the region of communication may represent physical access ofa gamer to the computing device by way of a user interface such as akeyboard, mouse, fingerprint reader, etc. In yet another embodiment, theregion of communication can represent a range of radio frequencycommunication between a communication device of a gamer and thecomputing device. For short range communications such as Bluetooth orWiFi, the range may be measured in feet or yards. For long-rangecommunications, such as cellular communications, the range may belimitless. A region of visual identification can represent a region fromwhich image sensors such as cameras coupled to the computing device candetect a presence of a gamer.

At step 604, the AMS application can be configured to detect biometricdata of a person within the region being monitored. The biometric datacan be an image of the person detected by one or more cameras which isthen processed by the AMS application using image processing technologyto identify the person according to a known biometric signature of theperson. Biometric data can also represent fingerprint data collected bya fingerprint reader coupled to the computing device, a retinal scanperformed by an eye sensor coupled to the computing device, a thermalprofile of the user detected by thermal sensing equipment coupled to thecomputing device, or other suitable biometric sensing equipment that canproduce biometric data. To determine an identity of the person detectedin step 604, the AMS application can compare the biometric data sensedby biometric sensing equipment to pre-recorded biometric signature dataof one or more gamers to identify gamers. If a gamer is not identifiedin step 606 based on the comparison, then the AMS application continuesto monitor at step 602 for other gamers.

If, however, a match is detected, the AMS application proceeds to step610 where it accesses a gaming account of the identified gamer. Thegaming account may be locally stored by the AMS application in thecomputing device, or it may be stored at a remote server that managesgaming accounts for a social network of gamers. At step 612, the AMSapplication can determine from the gaming account a gaming behavior ofthe identified gamer. The gaming behavior can comprise data representingbehaviors monitored and recorded by the AMS application when the gamerengages in gaming sessions with other gamers. For example, the gamingbehavior data can indicate that the identified gamer has played gameswith a number of other gamers (e.g., 20 gamers) since the AMSapplication began monitoring the gamer. The gaming behavior data mayalso identify the most recent games played by the identified gamer, andthe most recent gamers that have engaged in a gaming session with theidentified gamer. The gaming behavior data can include a time stamp foreach gaming session so that the historical data can be sorted. Thegaming behavior data can also categorize gamers by type of game (e.g., 3gamers identified as recently engaging in a WoW game with the identifiedgamer, another 2 gamers identified as recently engaging in a Call ofDuty™ game with the identified gamer, and so on.). The gaming behaviordata may also include gaming statistics indicating which games theidentified gamer performs best, as well as, gaming statistics of othergamers which can be compared to the identified gamer. The statistics ofthe other gamers can be used, for example, to identify which gamers posea challenge to the identified gamer.

Based on the gaming behavior data, the AMS application can determine atstep 614 a last game played by the identified gamer. The AMS applicationcan in step 616 determine also from the gaming behavior data the mostrecent gamers that have engaged in games with the identified gamer. Instep 618, the AMS application can further determine if any of the recentgamers are available to play with the identified gamer. The AMSapplication can make this determination by submitting message inquiriesby landline or wireless communication interfaces to communicationdevices of other gamers such as the client devices shown in FIG. 3B,and/or by submitting inquiries to on-line gaming systems such asdepicted in FIG. 3B. The inquiries to the communication devices of theother gamers can be directed to a gaming client operating in thecommunication devices of the other gamers. The gaming client canrepresent a software application executed by the communication devicethat monitors gaming activities initiated by the user of thecommunication device, and thereby can respond to such inquiries withoutprompting the user of the communication device. Alternatively, theinquiry sent by the AMS application can be presented to a user of thecommunication device to enable the user to determine whether s/he wantsto expose his/her gaming activities to the AMS application. If the gameris engaged in an on-line gaming session and/or logged in an account ofthe on-line gaming system, the on-line gaming system receiving theinquiry can respond to the AMS application with an acknowledgment of thegamer's status.

From the responses sent by the communication devices and/or the on-linegaming systems, the AMS application can make a determination whether thegamers are available or busy playing with other gamers. It is noted thatthe AMS application can also direct the inquiries to one or morepresence servers (not shown) that monitor gaming activities associatedwith the other gamers. Such presence servers may also provide gamingstatus information to the AMS application.

At step 620, the AMS application can further determine a gamingenvironment of the gamer. The gaming environment can be determinedcontextually at the time the gamer was identified at step 606. Forexample, a time of day when the gamer is detected can be compared to thegaming behavior data to determine what the identified gamer haspreviously done during a similar period. For instance, the AMSapplication can determine from the gaming behavior data that the gamergenerally engages in a gaming session of Call of Duty™ at or near thetime when the gamer was identified in step 606. The AMS application canfurther assess that the gamer was identified using a tablet as thecomputing device. Accordingly, the AMS application can determine thatCall of Duty™ can be played after invoking a client program tailored forthis game. The AMS application can determine from location informationprovided by a communication device of the gamer (e.g., GPS coordinates)has been detected in a library setting. Based on the location of thegamer, the AMS application can further determine that gaming must beinitiated discretely (i.e., speakers of the tablet must be muted).

At step 622, the AMS application can determine whether the gameridentified at step 606 is interested in engaging in a gaming session.This determination can be made by an express action of the identifiedgamer such as a speech command (“please start a gaming session based ongame XXX”). Alternatively, the determination of the gamer's interest maybe inferred by gestures, body language, prior behavior, habits, and soon. In one embodiment, the AMS application can bypass step 622 if it isdetermined that a determination cannot be made with high confidence asto whether the gamer identified in step 606 wishes to engage in a gamingsession.

At step 624, the identified gamer can be presented a list of gamersavailable to engage in a gaming session. The presentation can be basedon synthesized speech projected by the AMS application by way of anaudio system of the computing device (e.g., “Welcome John. It's good tosee you again. I have detected that Sam, Sally, and Joe are available toplay Call of Duty™ with you. Would you like to contact them tocoordinate a game?”). Alternatively, or in combination, a display deviceof the computing device can present a list of gamers and statusinformation to indicate what the gamers may be doing at the time thelist is presented.

At step 626, the AMS application can detect a response from theidentified gamer in the form of speech, gesture, keyboard entry and/ornavigation device selection. The response can include an identificationof a game type to initiate, and one or more gamers to contact based onthe presentation given at step 624. Alternatively, the response canidentify a divergent interest of the gamer, which may include anidentification of a new game type not consistent with the gamingbehavior data, as well as, a request to engage in a gaming session withgamers not identified by the AMS application at step 624. At step 628,the AMS application can select a gaming profile from a group of profilesconstructed according to method 500 of FIG. 5A. The selection of thegaming profile can be made according to the gaming environmentdetermined at step 620. In the same step, the AMS application cancontact the other gamers and inform them that the identified gamer ofstep 606 has requested a gaming session of game XXX. At step 630, theAMS application can configure the computing device of the identifiedgamer according to the gaming profile. Once the gamers accept theinvitation to game with the identified gamer, the AMS application canproceed to step 632 where it facilitates the gaming session with theother gamers identified in step 628. The gaming session may be apeer-to-peer gaming session between the computing devices of the gamers,or by way of a gaming session coordinated by an on-line gaming system asdepicted in FIG. 3B.

It is further noted that method 600 can be adapted to answer any speechinquiries of the gamer associated with gaming. For example, in oneembodiment, the gamer can ask the AMS application to connect the gamerto a social network for gamers. In this embodiment, the AMS applicationcan process the speech command, retrieve social networking informationstored in the gaming account, and connect the gamer to the requestedsocial network. In another embodiment, the gamer can ask the status ofother gamers not anticipated by the AMS application. In this embodiment,the AMS application can submit inquiries to client devices, on-linegaming systems, or presence servers for status information about thegamers. The AMS application can also apply contextual analysis to suchinquiries. For example, the AMS application can determine a location ofthe gamer, a time of the inquiry, and assess a proper response to aninquiry. For instance, if the gamer is in one time zone, the AMSapplication can analyze whether gaming with other gamers in a differenttime zone may pose problems for engaging in a gaming session that maylast more than an hour. For example, if the gamers are teenagers, andparental controls prevent gaming after a certain time, which may beknown to the AMS application, then under such circumstances the AMSapplication can inform the gamer that these gamers may have a limitedplaying time, and/or suggest other gamers that may not be subject toparental controls or are in a similar time zone.

Once the gaming profile and its contents have been identified asdescribed in step 628 of method 600, and the gaming session has startedat step 632, the AMS application can proceed to step 719 of FIG. 7 whereit monitors for a change in a gaming venue state based on thepresentations made by the gaming application initiated between thegamers, or by way of API messages supplied by the gaming application. Atthe start of a game, for example, the gaming venue state can bedetermined immediately depending on the gaming options chosen by thegamer. The AMS application can determine the gaming venue state bytracking the gaming options chosen by a gamer, receiving an APIinstruction from the gaming application, or by performing imageprocessing on the video presentation generated by the gamingapplication. For example, the AMS application can detect that the gamerhas directed an avatar to enter a tank. The AMS application can retrievein step 719 associations for the gaming controller 115 for controllingthe tank.

The AMS application can process movements of the gaming controller 115forwards, backwards, or sideways in two or three dimensions to controlthe tanks movement. Similarly, rotating the gaming controller 115 ortilting the gaming controller 115 forward can cause an accelerometer,gyro or magnetometer of the gaming controller 115 to providenavigational data to the AMS application which can be substituted withan action to cause the tank to turn and/or move forward. Additionally,the AMS application can detected gestures performed by the gamer near orupon the gaming controller 115 which can be used to navigate or controlweapons of the tank. The profile retrieved by the AMS application canindicate that the greater the forward tilt of the gaming controller 115,the greater the speed of the tank should be moving forward. Similarly, arear tilt can generate navigation data that is substituted with areverse motion and/or deceleration of the forward motion to stop or slowdown the tank.

A three dimensional lift of the gaming controller 115 can cause the tankto steer according to the three dimensional navigation data provided bythe gaming controller 115. For example, navigation data associated witha combination of a forward tilt and right bank of the gaming controller115 can be substituted by the AMS application to cause an increase inforward speed of the tank with a turn to the right determined by the AMSapplication according to a degree of banking of the gaming controller115 to the right. In the above embodiment, the three dimensionalnavigation data allows a gamer to control any directional vector of thetank including speed, direction, acceleration and deceleration. Gesturesdetected by the gaming controller 115 can also control the tank and/orits weapon systems according to substitute stimuli associated withparticular gestures recorded by the AMS application.

In another illustration, the AMS application can detect a new gamingvenue state as a result of the gamer directing the avatar to leave thetank and travel on foot. Once again the AMS application retrieves instep 719 associations related to the gaming venue state. In thisembodiment, selection of buttons of the gaming controller 115 can beassociated by the AMS application with weaponry selection, firing,reloading and so on. The movement of the gaming controller 115 in two orthree dimensions can control the direction of the avatar and/orselection or use of weaponry. Alternatively, or in combination, gesturescan control navigation of the avatar and/or use of weaponry. Once thegaming venue state is detected in step 719, the AMS applicationretrieves the associations related to the venue state, and can performsubstitutions of stimuli generated by the gaming controller 115 by wayof its controls or detected gestures, and/or based on speech commandsreceived by a microphone of the headset 114.

The AMS application can monitor in step 720 stimulus signals generatedby the accessories coupled to the gaming console 220. The stimulussignals can be generated by the gamer by manipulating the gamingcontroller 115 or gestures detected thereby, and/or by generating speechcommands detected by the headset 114.

If stimulus signals are detected at step 720, then the AMS applicationcan generate stimulations from the stimulus signals based uponconfiguration settings in step 724. In one embodiment, the configurationsettings can establish a responsiveness of the AMS application tochanges in a stimulus signal of an accessory device. For example, aconfiguration setting can determine a speed of response to a movement ofthe gaming controller 115. When the gaming controller 115 is moved inspace, digital data is generated indicating a direction and distance ofmovement relative to a former position. A polling algorithm in the AMSapplication can read the output data of the gaming controller 115 atperiodic intervals to determine if the gaming controller 115 positionhas changed and, if so, the direction and magnitude of this change.

In several embodiments, one or more configuration settings can beassigned and stored in the AMS application to control responsiveness,resolution, speed, feedback, and/or sensitivity of one or more accessorydevices being used to control a game. For example, one or moreconfiguration settings can be defined for counts per inch (CPI) formovement of an input device, frames per second (FPS) and/or dots perinch (DPI) for a display device, inches per second (IPS) for speed andacceleration of an input device, lift distance for a three-dimensionalinput device, polling rate, feedback intensity, scrolling and/ordouble-click speed, direction sensitivity and/or window pointer speedfor an input device.

The configuration settings can allow the player to configure theaccessory device performance to fit the player's style and preferencesand can be maintained in a player profile. In one embodiment, theconfiguration settings can have a default configuration that isestablished by the AMS application and/or by add-in applications and/orset-up data associated with each accessory device. In one embodiment,the AMS application converts each stimulus signal from eachcommunicating accessory device into a stimulation signal based on thecurrent configuration settings.

In step 728, the AMS application can determine whether to forward thestimulations generated by the accessory to an Operating System (OS) ofthe gaming console 220 without substitutions. This determination can bemade by comparing the stimulations to an association in the profile. Ifthe stimulations match the associations, then the AMS applicationproceeds to step 740 where it retrieves substitute stimulations in theprofile. In step 742, the AMS application can substitute thestimulations with the substitute stimulations in the profile. In oneembodiment, the AMS application can track in step 744 the substitutestimulations by updating these stimulations with a unique identifiersuch as a globally unique identifier (GUID). In this embodiment, the AMSapplication can also add a time stamp to each substituted stimulation totrack when the substitution was performed.

In another embodiment, the AMS application can track each substitutestimulation according to its order of submission to the gamingapplication. For instance, sequence numbers can be generated for thesubstitute stimulations to track the order in which they were submittedto the gaming application. In this embodiment, the substitutestimulations do not need to be updated with sequence numbers oridentifiers so long as the order of gaming action results submitted bythe gaming application to the AMS application remain in the same orderas the substitute stimulations were originally submitted.

For example, if a first stimulation sent to the gaming application bythe AMS application is a command to shoot, and a second stimulation sentto the gaming application is a command to shoot again, then so long asthe gaming application provides a first a game action result for thefirst shot, followed by a game action result for the second shot, thenthe substitute stimulations will not require updating with sequencenumbers since the game action results are reported in the order that thestimulations were sent. If on the other hand, the game action resultscan be submitted out of order, then updating the stimulations withsequence numbers or another suitable identifier would be required toenable the AMS application to properly track and correlate stimulationsand corresponding gaming action results.

Once the stimulations received in step 720 have been substituted withother stimulations in step 742, and the AMS application has chosen aproper tracking methodology for correlating gaming action results withstimulations, the AMS application can proceed to step 748 and submit thesubstitute stimulations to the OS of the gaming console 220. If in step722 the detected stimulation(s) do not match an association in theprofile, then the AMS application proceeds to one of steps 744 or 746 inorder to track the stimulations of the accessory. Once the AMSapplication has performed the necessary steps to track the stimulationas originally generated by the accessory, the AMS application proceedsto step 748 where it submits stimulations (with or withoutsubstitutions) to the OS of the gaming console 220 with or withouttracking information as previously described.

In step 734, the OS determines whether to invoke in step 736 a softwareapplication identified in the stimulation(s) (e.g., gamer says “turn onteam chat”, which invokes a chat application), whether to forward thereceived stimulations (or substitute stimulations generated thereby) tothe gaming software application in step 738, or combinations thereof.Contemporaneous to the embodiments described above, the AMS applicationcan monitor in step 750 for game action results supplied by the gamingapplication via a defined API. The game action results can be messagessent by the gaming application by way of the API of the gamingapplication to inform the AMS application what has happened as a resultof the stimulations sent in step 738. For instance, suppose thestimulation sent to the gaming application in step 738 is a command toshoot a pistol. The gaming application can determine that the shot firedresulted in a miss of a target. The gaming application can respond witha message which is submitted by way of the API to the AMS applicationthat indicates the shot fired resulted in a miss. If IDs such as GUIDswere sent with each stimulation, then the gaming application can submitgame action results with their corresponding GUID to enable the AMSapplication to correlate the gaming action results with stimulationshaving the same GUID.

For example, if the command to shoot included the ID “1234”, then thegame action result indicating a miss will include the ID “1234”, whichthe AMS application can use in step 752 to identify the stimulationhaving the same ID. If on other hand, the order of game action resultscan be maintained consistent with the order of the stimulations, thenthe AMS application can correlate in step 754 stimulations with gameaction results by the order in which stimulation were submitted and theorder in which game action results were received. In step 756, the AMSapplication can catalogue stimulations and game action results. Inanother embodiment, the AMS application can be adapted to catalogue thestimulations in step 760. In this embodiment, step 760 can be performedas an alternative to steps 750 through 756. In another embodiment, step760 can be performed in combination with steps 750 through 756 in orderto generate a catalogue of stimulations, and a catalogue for gamingaction results correlated to the stimulations.

FIGS. 8-9 illustrate embodiments of a system with a correspondingcommunication flow diagram for correlating stimulations and gamingaction results. In this illustration a user clicks a left button of agaming controller 115. The gaming controller 115 can include firmware(or circuitry), which creates an event as depicted by event 2 in FIG. 8.The button depression and the event creation are depicted in FIG. 9 assteps 902 and 904. In step 904, the firmware of the gaming controller115 can, for example, generate an event type “left button #3”, and aunique GUID with a time stamp which is submitted to the AMS application.Referring back to FIG. 8, the AMS application can catalogue event 3,and, if a substitute stimulation has been predefined, can remap theevent according to the substitution. The remapped event is thentransmitted to the gaming application at event 4. Event 3 of FIG. 8 isdepicted as step 906 in FIG. 9. In this illustration, the AMSapplication substitutes the left button #3 depression stimulus with a“keyboard ‘F’” depression which can be interpreted by the gamingapplication as a fire command. The AMS application in this illustrationcontinues to use the same GUID, but substitutes the time stamp foranother time stamp to identify when the substitution took place.

Referring back to event 4, the gaming application processes the eventand sends back at event 5 a game action result to the AMS applicationwhich is processed by the AMS application at event 6. The AMSapplication then submits the results to the accessory at event 7. Events4 and 5 are depicted as step 908 in FIG. 9. In this step, the gamingapplication processes “F” as an action to fire the gamer's gun, and thendetermines from the action the result from logistical gaming resultsgenerated by the gaming application. In the present illustration, theaction of firing resulted in a hit. The gaming application submits tothe AMS application the result type “Hit” with a new time stamp, whileutilizing the same GUID for tracking purposes. At step 910, the AMSapplication correlates the stimulation “left button #3 (and/or thesubstitute stimulation keyboard “F”) to the game result “Hit” andcatalogues them in memory. The AMS application then submits to theaccessory (e.g., gaming controller 115) in step 910 the game actionresults “Hit” with the same GUID, and a new time stamp indicating whenthe result was received. Upon receiving the message from the AMSapplication, the accessory in step 912 can process the “Hit” byasserting a red LED on the accessory (e.g., left button illuminates inred or other LED of the gaming controller 115 illuminates in red) toindicate a hit. Other notification notices can be used such as anothercolor for the LED to indicate misses, a specific sound for a hit, orkill, a vibration or other suitable technique for notifying the gamer ofthe game action result.

In an embodiment where the AMS application receives gaming results froma gaming application via an API as described above, the communicationflow diagram shown in FIG. 9 can be modified with a more comprehensiveprotocol that includes a weapon type being monitored, misses, non-killhits (i.e., a hit that does not result in a kill), kill hits, and lossof life rate.

The AMS application can present performance factors of each gamer, andthe type of weapons being tracked (e.g., sniper rifle, machine gun, handgun) as shown in FIGS. 10-11. To identify which weapon is being used atany point in time during a gaming session, the AMS application canhighlight the weapon in a distinguishable color such as blue whilekeeping all other weapon rows in gray. The AMS application can calculatean average hit rate from the misses, non-kill hits, and kill hits. TheAMS application can compare gaming action results between the gamers toidentifying leading performance factors as shown in the “Comp Rating”column of each player. In a tournament setting, the performance factorsshown in FIGS. 10 and 11 can be shown in side-by-side monitors, ortogether in a JumboTron™ display such as those used in sporting eventsor the like.

As the gamer is competing, the input functions of the gaming controller115 can be highlighted and moved (in the case of knobs) to show theaudience how the gaming controller 115 is being used by the gamer. Thehealth of the gamer's avatar can be shown below the gaming controller115. To further enhance the experience for the audience, the gamer'simage can be shown as a video clip during the competition. The AMSapplication can also be adapted to present a portion of the video gameassociated with each gamer as shown in FIGS. 9-11.

The methods of FIGS. 5-7 can be adapted to operate in whole or in partin a gaming accessory, in an operating system of a computer, in a gamingconsole, in a gaming application that generates the video game, in adongle, or any other suitable software application and/or device. Themethod of FIGS. 5-7 can be adapted to ignore or filter game actionresults, which may not be relevant to the gamer or analysts. Forinstance, the AMS application can be adapted to ignore (or filter) gameaction results relating to navigation of the avatar (e.g., turn around,jump, etc.). The AMS application can also be adapted to ignore (orfilter) game action results relating to preparatory actions such asreloading a gun, switching between weapons, and so on. In anotherembodiment, the AMS application can be adapted to selectively monitoronly particular game result actions such as misses, non-kill hits,kills, and life of the avatar. The AMS application can also be adaptedto monitor gaming action results with or without temporal dataassociated with the stimuli and game action results.

In one embodiment, the AMS application can be adapted to track stimuli(or substitutions thereof) by submission order, and order of gamingaction results supplied by the gaming application, and performcataloguing thereof by the respective order of stimuli and gaming actionresults. The items can be catalogued by the AMS application with orwithout temporal data.

In one embodiment, the AMS application can be adapted to collect gamingaction results for “all” or a substantial portion of stimuli (orsubstitutions thereof) transmitted to the gaming application. In thisembodiment, the AMS application can be adapted to enable a gamer toreplay portions of the game to allow the gamer to visualize (in slowmotion, still shots, or regular play speed) the actions taken by thegamer (i.e., accessory stimuli and/or substitute stimuli) to help thegamer identify areas of the game where his/her performance can beimproved.

In one embodiment, the AMS application can be implemented as adistributed system (e.g., one or more servers executing one or morevirtual machines) enabling multiples users to control aspects of the AMSapplication. For example, in a tournament setting, gaming analystshaving access to the AMS application can request a replay of portions ofthe game to demonstrate exceptional plays versus missed plays at aJumboTron™ display. The gamers can access the AMS application toestablish new substitute stimuli, perform calibrations on macros, orinvoke or create additional gaming profiles. Portions of the AMSapplication can also be implemented by equipment of unaffiliated partiesor service providers of gaming services.

In one embodiment, the AMS application can be adapted to substitute anaccessory stimulus (or stimuli) with a macro comprising a combination ofsubstitute stimuli, and to track the macro when gaming action resultsare received from the gaming application—rather than tracking eachindividual substitute stimulus of the macro. The AMS application can beadapted to monitor macros by tracking an order of stimuli (orsubstitutes) associated with the macro that are transmitted to thegaming application and by tracking an order of gaming action resultsreceived from the gaming application, which are associated with themacro. Alternatively, or in combination the AMS application can add aunique identifier to the substitute stimuli to identify the stimuli asbeing associated with the macro.

The AMS application can be adapted to catalogue the gaming actionresults associated with the macro in a manner that allows the gamer toidentify a group of gaming action results as being associated with themacro. The AMS application can also be adapted to collect sufficientdata to assess each individual gaming action result of the macro (e.g.,temporal data, hits, misses, etc.). The presentation of catalogued macrodata can be hierarchical. For example, the AMS application can present aparticular macro by way of a high level GUI that indicates the macrocaused a kill. The AMS application can be adapted to enable the gamer toselect a different GUI that enables the user to visualize a gamingaction result for each stimulus of the macro to determine how effectivethe macro was in performing the kill, and whether further adjustments ofthe macro might improve the gamer's performance.

In one embodiment, the AMS application can be adapted to present more orless competitive information than is shown in FIGS. 10-11. In oneembodiment, for example, the AMS application can be adapted to presentcompetitive information without the virtual peripherals. In one example,the AMS application can be adapted to present scrollable pages ofcompetitive information with or without the virtual peripherals. Inanother illustration, the AMS application can be adapted to presentcompetitive information without a viewing of the game or the gamer.Other variants of presenting competitive information or other data shownin FIGS. 10-11 are contemplated by the subject disclosure.

The foregoing embodiments are a subset of possible embodimentscontemplated by the subject disclosure. Other suitable modifications canbe applied to the subject disclosure.

FIG. 12 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 1200 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods discussed above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate as any of devices depicted in FIGS. 1-3, and FIG. 12. In someembodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g., using a network) toother machines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate inthe capacity of a server or a client user machine in server-client usernetwork environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (ordistributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the subject disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 1200 may include a processor 1202 (e.g., a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU, or both), a mainmemory 1204 and a static memory 1206, which communicate with each othervia a bus 1208. The computer system 1200 may further include a videodisplay unit 1210 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flat panel,or a solid state display. The computer system 1200 may include an inputdevice 1212 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 1214 (e.g., amouse), a disk drive unit 1216, a signal generation device 1218 (e.g., aspeaker or remote control) and a network interface device 1220.

The disk drive unit 1216 may include a tangible machine-readable storagemedium 1222 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 1224) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 1224 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 1204, the static memory 1206, and/or within theprocessor 1202 during execution thereof by the computer system 1200. Themain memory 1204 and the processor 1202 also may constitute tangiblemachine-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatusand systems of various embodiments broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions intwo or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices withrelated control and data signals communicated between and through themodules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit.Thus, the example system is applicable to software, firmware, andhardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure, themethods described herein are intended for operation as software programsrunning on a computer processor. Furthermore, software implementationscan include, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

While the tangible machine-readable storage medium 1222 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblemachine-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible machine-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe subject disclosure.

The term “tangible machine-readable storage medium” shall accordingly betaken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such as amemory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible machine-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g.,RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee), andlong-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE) are contemplatedfor use by computer system 1300.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated toachieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodimentsshown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations orvariations of various embodiments. Combinations of the aboveembodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein,are contemplated by the subject disclosure.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: selecting, by a processingsystem including a processor, portions of a surface of an accessory todefine a plurality of zones, each of the plurality of zonescorresponding to a plurality of near field sensors, each near fieldsensor of the plurality of near field sensors being operable to detectobjects in a space proximate to a zone of the plurality of zones;detecting, by the processing system, a movement of an object in a firstzone of the plurality of zones by sensing the object with a first nearfield sensor of the plurality of near field sensors; determining, by theprocessing system, that the movement is associated with an actionrelated to a presentation of a game application; and transmitting, bythe processing system, to the game application, the action associatedwith the movement.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of theplurality of zones corresponds to a distinct portion of the surface ofthe accessory.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting isperformed in accordance with input to a graphical user interface of theaccessory.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the selecting furthercomprises defining a virtual boundary on the surface of the accessory,the virtual boundary drawn using the graphical user interface.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of zonescorrespond to physically independent areas of the accessory.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising obtaining, by the processingsystem, the action associated with the movement responsive to detectingthe movement.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the action comprisescontrolling actions of an animated object presented by the gameapplication, initiating execution of a software application independentof the game application, or a combination thereof.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the object comprises a body part of a user, and whereinthe movement is associated with a gesture.
 9. The method of claim 8,wherein the accessory is associated with a second zone of the pluralityof zones, wherein the object is a right hand or a left hand, wherein thefirst zone has associated therewith a first set of gestures performedusing one of the right hand or the left hand, and wherein the secondzone has associated therewith a second set of gestures performed usingthe other of the right hand or the left hand.
 10. The method of claim 1,further comprising: determining, by the processing system, whether themovement is a new movement not previously associated with the first zoneand not previously associated with the action; and responsive todetermining that the movement is a new movement, associating, by theprocessing system, the new movement with the first zone and with theaction.
 11. A non-transitory machine-readable medium that storesexecutable instructions that, when executed by a processing systemincluding a processor, cause the processing system to perform operationscomprising: selecting portions of a surface of an accessory to define aplurality of zones, each of the plurality of zones including arespective selected portion and a space proximate thereto, each of theplurality of zones corresponding to a plurality of near field sensors;detecting a movement of an object in a first zone of the plurality ofzones by sensing the object with a first near field sensor of theplurality of near field sensors; determining that the movement isassociated with an action related to a presentation of a gameapplication; and transmitting, to the game application, the actionassociated with the movement.
 12. The non-transitory machine-readablemedium of claim 11, wherein the object makes physical contact with afirst portion of the accessory in the first zone.
 13. The non-transitorymachine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the selecting is performedin accordance with input to a graphical user interface of the accessory.14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein theaction comprises controlling actions of an animated object presented bythe game application, initiating execution of a software applicationindependent of the game application, or a combination thereof.
 15. Thenon-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein theaccessory is associated with a second zone of the plurality of zones,wherein the object is a right hand or a left hand, wherein the movementis associated with a gesture, wherein the first zone has associatedtherewith a first set of gestures performed using one of the right handor the left hand, and wherein the second zone has associated therewith asecond set of gestures performed using the other of the right hand orthe left hand.
 16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim11, wherein the operations further comprise: determining whether themovement is a new movement not previously associated with the first zoneand not previously associated with the action; and responsive todetermining that the movement is a new movement, associating the newmovement with the first zone and with the action.
 17. A devicecomprising: a processing system including a processor; and a memory thatstores executable instructions that, when executed by the processingsystem, cause performance of operations comprising: selecting, inaccordance with input to a graphical user interface of an accessory,portions of a surface of the accessory to define a plurality of zones,each of the plurality of zones corresponding to a plurality of nearfield sensors, each near field sensor of the plurality of near fieldsensors being operable to detect objects in a space proximate to a zoneof the plurality of zones; detecting a movement of an object in a firstzone of the plurality of zones by sensing the object with a first nearfield sensor of the plurality of near field sensors; determining thatthe movement is associated with an action related to a presentation of agame application; and transmitting, to the game application, the actionassociated with the movement.
 18. The device of claim 17, wherein theselecting further comprises defining a virtual boundary on the surfaceof the accessory, the virtual boundary drawn using the graphical userinterface.
 19. The device of claim 17, wherein the action comprisescontrolling actions of an animated object presented by the gameapplication, initiating execution of a software application independentof the game application, or a combination thereof.
 20. The device ofclaim 17, wherein the accessory is associated with a second zone of theplurality of zones, wherein the object is a right hand or a left hand,wherein the movement is associated with a gesture, wherein the firstzone has associated therewith a first set of gestures performed usingone of the right hand or the left hand, and wherein the second zone hasassociated therewith a second set of gestures performed using the otherof the right hand or the left hand.